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Yalta
Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin meet in the Soviet resort town of Yalta to make plans for the postwar era. In a problematic compromise, Roosevelt accedes to Churchill's and Stalin's plans for spheres of influence in Europe even while convincing the British and Soviet leaders to sign on to a statement affirming the principles of democracy. -
Iron Curtain Speech
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at a college in Missouri. "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic," Churchill declares, "an Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent" of Europe. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman requests congressional funding to support the government of Greece in its civil war against Communist insurgents, couching his request in dramatic rhetoric now known as the Truman Doctrine, which defines communist victory anywhere in the world as a threat to American security: "Totalitarian regimes imposed on free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace and hence the security of the United States." -
Truman Loyalty Oaths
President Harry S. Truman issues Executive Order 9835, establishing a Loyalty-Security Program for all federal employees. Designed to pre-empt Republican charges of communist infiltration of the government, Truman's loyalty oaths only heighten the country's growing fears of communist subversion. -
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Un-American Activities Committee opens hearings investigating communist activity in Hollywood. -
Hollywood Ten
The House of Representatives issues citations for Contempt of Congress to the Hollywood Ten: John Howard Lawson, Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott, and Dalton Trumbo. -
Hollywood Blacklisting
The Motion Picture Association confirms the blacklisting of the Hollywood Ten from employment in the film industry. -
Berlin Airlift
The Soviets blockade West Berlin, leaving the city—which is surrounded on all sides by communist East Germany—without access to food and supplies. The Truman administration organizes a military airlift to supply the besieged city. The Berlin Airlift will last for nearly a year, delivering 1.5 million tons of supplies via 200,000 separate flights before the blockade is lifted in May 1949. -
Soviets Reject Marshall Plan
The Soviet Union rejects participation in the Marshall Plan, with Stalin's Foreign Minister, V.M. Molotov, calling it an "imperialist" plot to enslave Eastern Europe. -
First TV Broadcast of Congressional Hearing
Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers both testify in a televised hearing of the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is the first time any congressional hearing has been broadcast over television. -
Berlin Airlift Ends
The Berlin airlift ends in victory for the Western Allies as the Soviets lift their blockade on the city. -
Soviet Atom Bomb
The Soviet Union successfully detonates its first atomic bomb. The loss of its atomic monopoly comes as a terrible shock to the United States and its people. -
Mao Victorious in China
Chairman Mao declares victory in the Chinese Civil War, creating the Communist People's Republic of China. -
Joseph McCarthy Claims Targets
Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy gives a speech in Wheeling, Virginia, dramatically claiming, "I have in my hand a list of 205 cases of individuals who appear to be either card-carrying members or certainly loyal to the Communist Party" within the United States State Department. -
North Korea Invades South
Communist North Korean troops invade South Korea, beginning the Korean War. -
Stalin Dies
Soviet communist leader Joseph Stalin dies of a stroke. -
McCarthy Hearings Begin
The Army-McCarthy hearings begin, broadcast live in their entirety by ABC television. -
McCarthy Censured
The United States Senate censures Senator Joseph McCarthy for "conduct contrary to senatorial tradition." -
McCarthy Dies
American Senator Joseph McCarthy Died because of hepatitis